Darcie Sims returns to Goshen College for seminar on grief and violence Oct. 14

GOSHEN, Ind. – Darcie D. Sims, an internationally recognized speaker on grief, will offer an all-day seminar, “Coping with the Tornado Within: Exploring the Connections Between Unresolved Grief and Violence,” at Goshen College on Oct. 14. The event, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Church-Chapel Fellowship Hall, marks the second year of this annual seminar.

Sims is a grief management specialist, a national certified grief counselor, a certified pastoral bereavement specialist and a licensed psychotherapist. She is president and co-founder of Grief Inc., a grief consulting business, and the director of the American Grief Academy in Louisville, Ky. Sims has written seven books on the subject of grief and spent 15 years as an editor for Bereavement magazine and now writes for Grief Digest. Sims regularly offers workshops around the country on the subject of death and grieving.

The seminar is open to the general public and Continuing Education Credit is available for social workers, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, nurses, law enforcement officers, funeral home directors and psychologists.

“We are pleased to bring a nationally-known speaker such as Dr. Sims back to the Michiana area,” said Associate Professor of Social Work Carol Jarvis. “Dr. Sims was very warmly received by last year’s seminar participants, and we anticipate an even greater attendance at this year’s seminar. The connection between unresolved grief and violence is a topic which we think is of great interest to professionals and lay people alike.”

The seminar is made possible through the partnership of the Goshen College Social Work Program and Ryan’s Place, a nonprofit grief center established in 2002. The mission of Ryan’s Place is to provide emotional support in a safe environment where grieving children, teens, young adults and their families can share their experiences as they move through the healing process.

Carol Grieser, co-chair of the Darcie Sims seminar and Ryan’s Place board member, said, “Anger is one emotion that often follows a death and people, especially children, need help in knowing how to handle it. Children may feel abandoned and rejected especially if the death was by suicide; suicide has been on the increase in Elkhart County for the past two years. Darcie Sims will be sharing ideas and strategies that professionals may use to help children deal with their anger and channel it in positive and constructive ways.”

Jarvis said that there is significant community interest for this event, with agencies and institutions including Elkhart General Hospital, Oaklawn, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Goshen Community Schools, Madison Center and Novartis Pharmaceuticals making financial contributions that are helping to make the seminar affordable. “The support from the community indicates how important this topic is,” said Jarvis.

Space is limited for the seminar so early registration is important. Registration is $50 for professionals and $15 for students. Registration will be available online at https://www.goshen.edu/sowk/ in August. To register or for more information, contact Marge Brandeberry at (574) 535-7400 or margemb@goshen.edu.

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” Kaplan’s “Most Interesting Colleges” guide and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit https://www.goshen.edu/.

Editors: For more information, contact News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.



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